June 17, 2017 1:43 pm PST
Hello from the upper airstrip of Denali Basecamp. We made the arduous descent from high camp in snowy and windy conditions down to 11,000ft last evening. We unfortunately did not get a break from the weather... WINDS.
Today we had a very alpine start to climb down to base camp in the cold of early morning in order to reduce our chances of breaking through snow bridges on the lower glacier. We were able to do just that! After arriving we were told the normal runway was to bumpy and crevassed. The whole team finished strong up the bonus hill to the upper runway. The weather continues to follow us here in The Alaska Range as I type this blog the fog and mist hold strong for the moment. When the clouds part we will be on the first planes to Talkeetna and on our way back from an amazing trip with lots of learning, and humbling moments. We have learned that the Summits are for our ego and the Journey is for our soul. The mountain is not going anywhere and we can always come back as long as we play safe in the mountains.
High hopes for flying back to reality!
Cheers,
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
RMI Guide JJ Justman led the Four Day Summit Climb Team to the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team reported beautiful weather and great route conditions. The team was climbing to raise money for Washington's National Park Fund, what a great way to honor our National Parks.
Congratulations Team!
Thanks RMI team for your leadership, training, and providing a great, safe, adventure.
Posted by: Robert Jones on 8/27/2014 at 9:21 pm
I had an amazing time! Huge thank you and big hugs to JJ, Christina, and Alex for getting us to the top safely and for the training, experience and stories you provided us.
May 23, 2014
High winds aloft again thwarted our plans to move to high camp today.
The team enjoyed another rest day, and we have now joined forces with Pete VanDeventer and his team, who arrived a few days ago, and together have built ourselves quite the RMI compound here in the Genet Basin.
After breakfast, Mike, Steve, and I made a quick lap down to 11 Camp to dig up our cache and retrieve any usable food items, extra gas, and personal supplies to help us extend our stint on the mountain.
We were hoping to get some promising news from the weather forecast this evening, but it sounds like we are going to have to dig our heels in and hang on, as high winds and multiple feet if snow are predicted over the next few days.
On a positive note, we scored some brownies and oreo's from a descending team, and thankfully Mike's frozen Kindle came back to life. We are now all happily entertained campers (and snackers) at 14,000', prepared to ride out this weather system!
Small miracles....
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall & Team
Hey Mark Tucker checking in from Pheriche down here in the lowlands of 14,000'. Well the team got up and had a nice breakfast in beautiful, beautiful weather. We said good-bye to the crew at Base Camp. It was really fun sharing the expedition experience with these guys. We had a really good time and were well taken care of. We were sad to leave Jeff Martin, our Operations Manager, all alone up there, but he's going to be fine. We had a big day today though. Went through Gorak Shep and Lobuche so it was quite a trek for the team. They all did well and the mountain at the last bit threw at us a pretty good snow squall. And for this group of Floridians, the preparation and our great training over the last couple of weeks here, we survived. It was not that bad but it was a fun experience and boy we're going to share these stories. Whatever they say, I'll agree with them. Those numbers change when they get back home but I will verify it. So we're all doing well. The other RMI team, the climbing team, is here as well. It's been great to rub shoulders with them and these guys are getting to know them as well. So we are all hanging tough. More downhill and up tomorrow, where we'll end up in Namche Bazaar. Thank you for following.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Today we moved to 9,300' on Mt. McKinley. We had great weather on the trail. As we reached the top of Ski Hill it started to snow so we set up camp and hunkered in for the evening. We are all settled in and are resting for another great day tomorrow.
We will keep you posted on our progress.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Today we woke up in the dark around 3 a.m. and ate a quick breakfast of hot rice porridge and coffee. Several team members took a rest day while the guides and Leif did a carrry through the ice fall to Camp One. As Casey, Seth and I had not been thru the ice fall this season (and this being my first trip to Everest!) we felt a preview of the route would be helpful. Loaded with a light pack including items to cache which would be needed for higher up on the mountain, we started out in the dark and joined the massive line of Sherpa. The route is kicked in well and and the ladders were minimal with several ten foot crevasse crossings being the largest span. A little over halfway thru the ice fall, the sun broke over the mountain and we were greeted with clear blue bird skies.
We arrived at Camp One (just over 20,000 ft.) at 7:30 in the morning and congratulated each other on a trip well done. Our Sherpa team did a great job with camp site selection and we drank, ate and cached our gear. A little after 8 a.m. we started back down the ice fall hopping crevasses, crossing ladders and doing two short rappels. We arrived back at Basecamp (17,500 ft.) just after 10 a.m. during the heat of the day and sat outside enjoying the warmth while rehydrating and gazing up at the ice fall.
This is Seth Waterfall broadcasting from Everest Basecamp. It's been another beautiful day here. We've had a few inches of snow each of the past few night and it has spruced the mountains up nicely. Everything is coming along in our preparation for our first acclimatization rotation. Today Dave went up to Camp One to check on the conditions in the icefall. He made great time and got some really good info on how we can move through the icefall efficiently. The rest of the group went out on to the Khumbu glacier and practiced our climbing and rappelling skills. It was sunny and warm on the glacier and all of the team members were able to run several laps on the 'obstacle course' that the guides set up. This practice is designed to get us familiar with our equipment and allow us to make adjustments in a safe environment. The next step for us will be to head up to Camp One and Two in order to build up our acclilmatization. But before we do that we still have several days of adjusting to the altitude here at Basecamp. It's a long process but this is necessary in order to give all of us the best shot at the summit.
Basecamp is rapidly filling up with teams from all over the world. The camp is just about full. There are only one or two teams that have not arrived. Yesterday we were delighted to see our friends Melissa Arnot and Dave Morton arrive. They are camped about a quarter mile up the glacier and they stopped by for tea after they unpacked their gear. We've had several visitors from most of the big teams. It's great to break up the day with a few visitors and share stories from the trek in.
We'll check in again tomorrow.
The gang's all here! There are 12 of us in total on this Kilimanjaro adventure. Everyone is doing well and we've been enjoying the Rivertrees Lodge that is nestled inbetween Arusha and Moshi, and not so far from the base of Kilimanjaro.
Today was officially Day One for us (Day Three if you're following the itinerary on the RMI Website). So we had a round of introductions before discussing the upcoming program for the days ahead. The team spent the remainder of the day getting gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our peaceful Lodge and getting adjusted to the nearly 12-hour time change.
Tomorrow we hit the trail and everyone is looking forward to seeing the mountain and stretching the legs after those long flights!
Today we took a rest day. We watched teams pack up as the clouds rolled in and out and snow trickled down. All day snow has pitter pattered against our tents. For most of the day we were engulfed by all white. Teams rolled in from below and from above bundled up and looking a little weathered. The hope is to move tomorrow but the forecast isn't looking the most promising. It would not make sense to journey through snow, wind, and single digit temps to set up a brand new camp. If the weather improves and holds we will move up, otherwise we will weather this storm here at 11,000' Camp. Send all the good weather vibes our way!
The Mt. Baker Easton Glacier team led by RMI Guide Andy Bond reached the summit of Mt. Baker today. Andy reported beautiful weather and a fun route. The team is en route back to camp where they will spend the evening before descending tomorrow.
Congratulations Team!
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Look forward to hearing all the stories Amir !!! :-) most importantly everyone is safe and sound. Will be good to have you back ! :-)
Posted by: René on 6/18/2017 at 6:36 pm
So sorry you didn’t summit but I’m glad everyone is safe. I am so proud of you, Bill. Happy Fathers’ Day to a great Dad. Love, Marie
Posted by: Marie Toro on 6/18/2017 at 7:40 am
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